Major General Ziaul Ahsan, who served as a Major at the time, took command of the intelligence wing of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on August 27, 2010.

Under his leadership, the wing reportedly transformed into a covert force notorious for extrajudicial actions, including forced disappearances and killings, reveals an investigation of the Mirror Asia.

RAB, a paramilitary organization composed of both police and military personnel, allegedly adopted a culture of lethal operations during Ziaul Ahsan's tenure. This psychological shift influenced its members, particularly those from the police force, who continued to engage in such practices even after returning to their respective parent organizations. Consequently, incidents of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings reportedly persisted.

In response to these human rights violations, the United States imposed sanctions on RAB and key figures associated with it on December 10, 2021. However, it is noteworthy that Ziaul Ahsan, despite being linked to numerous extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, remained untouched by these sanctions.

Ziaul Ahsan's alleged role in these grave human rights abuses continues to cast a shadow over his career. His involvement in several high-profile cases, including those of BNP leaders Choudhury Alam and Elias Ali, has been exposed through various social and international media outlets. However, many of his alleged atrocities remain hidden, fueling ongoing concerns about his influence.

One such case occurred on the night of April 17, 2012, when Elias Ali, a prominent leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was reportedly abducted while on his way home in Banani. Investigations revealed that the operation was directly carried out by RAB’s Intelligence Wing, led by Ziaul Ahsan.

The operation involved two army personnel and four police officers from RAB’s Intelligence Wing, who allegedly abducted Elias Ali and transported him to a secret safe house in Mirpur 1. It is alleged that while in RAB custody, Elias Ali, along with two other Sylhet BNP activists named Iftekhar Ahmed Diner and Junayed, were brutally killed.

Reports suggest that Ahsan employed suffocation using polybags as the method of execution. The victims' bodies were allegedly disposed of in a river, possibly in Narayanganj or Ashulia, in the early morning hours.

Netra News, through a documentary, has presented compelling evidence implicating Ziaul Ahsan and the RAB's Intelligence Wing in these crimes.

Another troubling case involves the abduction of Chowdhury Alam, a local leader of the Dhaka BNP, on June 26, 2010, by RAB from Indira Road. An earlier attempt on June 21, 2010, in Gulshan had failed, during which a RAB member, ASI Belal Hosen, was apprehended by the public and handed over to the police.

However, he was released due to the intervention of senior RAB officials. The operation was allegedly orchestrated under Ahsan's orders, who was serving as the acting Director of RAB’s Intelligence Wing at that time. In January 2012, law enforcement agencies apprehended five individuals in Malibagh, Dhaka.

While two were released, the bodies of the remaining three were discovered in different locations in Ashulia over the course of a few days. Intriguingly, the credit card of one of the deceased was used to withdraw money from a BRAC bank ATM booth in Shantinagar several days after their deaths, a detail reported by Prothom Alo along with a photograph.

On December 4, 2015, Sajedul Islam Sumon, a BNP ward General Secretary of Nakhalpara, and five others were allegedly abducted by RAB’s Intelligence Wing from Boshundhara Residential Area. The same team reportedly abducted two more individuals, Adnan Chowdhury and Kawsar Ahmed, from Shaheenbag, Nakhalpara, hours later. When the then Commanding Officer of RAB 1, Lieutenant Colonel Kismat Hayat, refused to carry out the forced disappearances, Lieutenant Abul Kalam Azad took over. The abductees were taken to a RAB safe house behind RAB 1's office, where they were allegedly killed by lethal injection under Ahsan's orders. Their bodies were reportedly disposed of in the Sitalakkhya River in Narayanganj in March 2014.

One of the most chilling incidents occurred on April 14, 2014, when Abu Bakkar Siddiqi, the husband of human rights activist Syeda Rizwana Hasan, was allegedly abducted by RAB’s Intelligence Wing under Ahsan's direct orders. This abduction was believed to be an attempt to silence Rizwana Hasan, who had been vocal against illegal land encroachments and environmental degradation. Siddiqi was initially kept in an undisclosed location, where he later recalled hearing the sounds of trains, planes, and buses, suggesting he was held near a transportation hub.

These incidents underscore the dark legacy of Ziaul Ahsan, whose tenure as a RAB official has been marred by allegations of brutal human rights violations. His continued influence and the lack of accountability for his actions raise serious questions about justice and the rule of law in Bangladesh.